Kosmos 245
Soviet radar calibration target satellite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kosmos 245 (Russian: Космос 245 meaning Cosmos 245), known before launch as DS-P1-Yu No.16, was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.[1] It had a mass of 325 kilograms (717 lb).[1]
| Mission type | ABM radar target |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1968-083A |
| SATCAT no. | 03457 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | DS-P1-Yu |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhnoye |
| Launch mass | 325 kilograms (717 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 October 1968, 12:58:59 UTC |
| Rocket | Kosmos-2I 63SM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/1 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 15 January 1969 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 260 kilometres (160 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 443 kilometres (275 mi) |
| Inclination | 70.9 degrees |
| Period | 91.6 minutes |
Kosmos 245 was launched from Site 133/1 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,[2] atop a Kosmos-2I 63SM carrier rocket. The launch occurred on 3 October 1968 at 12:58:59 UTC, and resulted in Kosmos 245's successful deployment into low Earth orbit.[3] Upon reaching orbit, it was assigned its Kosmos designation, and received the International Designator 1968-083A.
Kosmos 245 was operated in an orbit with a perigee of 260 kilometres (160 mi), an apogee of 443 kilometres (275 mi), 70.9 degrees of inclination, and an orbital period of 91.6 minutes.[1][4] It remained in orbit until it decayed and reentered the atmosphere on 15 January 1969.[4] It was the sixteenth of seventy nine DS-P1-Yu satellites to be launched,[1] and the fifteenth of seventy two to successfully reach orbit.[5]
